Pensieri di un lunatico minore

Targetting women

Over on AmericaBlog, John Aravosis has information on the brewing scandal involving Target and their selective moralism about allowing pharmacists—who chose their profession—to deny filling a prescription as part of their job. But not just any prescription, and I quote from a letter from Target

In the rare event that a pharmacist’s beliefs conflict with filling a guest’s prescription for the emergency contraceptive Plan B, our policy requires our pharmacists to take responsibility for ensuring that the guest’s prescription is filled in a timely and respectful manner, either by another Target pharmacist or a different pharmacy.

The emergency contraceptive Plan B is the only medication for which this policy applies. Under no circumstances can the pharmacist prevent the prescription from being filled, make discourteous or judgmental remarks, or discuss his or her religious beliefs with the guest.

So, not only are they claiming that they’re trying to accomidate someone’s “beliefs,” but they are as a corporation chosing to only honor certain beliefs, not all, which means they as a corporation are taking sides as to who is right and wrong.

I used to be a big fan of Target, and I used to shop there pretty frequently, but unfortunately I am not going to any longer. I am a huge believer in freedom of speech, and always will be, but sometimes speech comes with a personal price, and it never is required to be supported by the state or others. You may stand on the corner of a public square till the cows come home and preach hell, damnation and whatever other BS you care to, but nobody has to listen, and most of all, nobody has to pay you to do it.

The proper, and only acceptable, resolution is for Target to appologize, and state categorically that filling all legitimate and legal prescriptions is a mandatory requirement of working for Target in their pharmacies, and that anyone who refuses to fill a legitimate prescription will be fired for cause on the first offense. No exceptions. This is the conditition of your employment. They wouldn’t tolerate their check-out clerks refusing to sell an obese person ice-cream, would they?

If you don’t want to fill a prescription for a legal medicine, issued by a doctor, then you should find yourself another job. Perhaps standing on the street corner with a tin-foil hat spouting fire and brimstone.